Question from a reader:

I believe that we are living in the last days. Since a loved one moved to Heaven recently, I have a renewed desire to learn more about this topic. That’s led me to seven questions that I hope you can answer related to Matthew 22:23-33, which says:

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.So too the second and third, down to the seventh.After them all, the woman died.In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Thank you very much for any assistance you can give me in my study.

Answer from Doreen Button, EPM staff:

I’ll do what I can to add clarity to some questions. I hope that with the less clear answers, you’ll be content to join the many scholars who study hard, yet their answers differ widely. If history tells us anything, they all probably miss the mark somewhat, if not completely. (Remember all those Israelite men who memorized huge portions of the Hebrew Bible, incessantly anticipated Messiah’s coming, then when Jesus Messiah finally arrived, they were clueless?) This may sound odd, but I believe—because of what I’ve read in Job and other passages—God is more interested in our seeking Him and wanting to know Him well than He is about us getting secondary and tertiary concepts—i.e., timelines which Jesus didn’t even claim to know (Matthew 24:36)—just right.

With that in mind, here are your questions in order, and my best educated-guess answers.

What resurrection was being discussed? Isn't there more than one?

The resurrection of the righteous is a one-time event. All who die in Christ will be given resurrected bodies (perfected and immortal versions of the original earthy version) when He returns for us. There are several opinions about the number of large-scale resurrection events. That number seems to depend on whether you see the resurrection of unbelievers as separate from the resurrection of the redeemed.

Since around the time of Jesus, Jews have believed in olam haba, or “world to come” where the resurrected righteous (devout Jews) return to the Promised Land. Since the Sadducees didn’t believe in any resurrection, they were probably thinking only in terms of a generic, and in their minds, fictitious and ludicrous time when the dead collectively rise. This idea of olam haba has similarities to our belief that when Jesus returns, He’ll bring Heaven with Him to inaugurate the New Earth and those who have died and exist in the present Heaven will return with Him to live in the place we were always made for—our eternal Promised Land.

What did Jesus mean by “be like the angels in Heaven”?

Angels and humans are intelligent, and both are created to serve God. But they are created for different purposes and have differing roles. In this article, Randy writes, “That passage doesn’t teach that we’ll be genderless. After all, gender is a God-created aspect of humanity. It simply states there’ll be no marriage in heaven. And that’s all it teaches.” Jesus didn’t say we’ll be like angels in any way other than not marrying.

I have been told that there is no marriage in Heaven. Also, some pastors say that Jesus was referring to the aspect of civil marriage and not God's designed marriage as in Adam and Eve. What is your take on this passage? Is there marriage in the Millennium Kingdom? Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

This passage in Matthew states clearly that “when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” I’m not sure what kind of distinction “some pastors” are trying to make—it sounds artificial to me. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman for the purposes of procreation, companionship, and mutual service to God and which, according to Ephesians 5:31-32, mirrors the relationship of Jesus with His bride, the Church (not a building or denomination, but the people who trust and follow Him). Though it’s difficult in our cultural context to imagine, we all will be married to Jesus, unified as His one bride.

My definition of “soul mate” is someone who shares your life in close relationship with you—someone you trust and care deeply for and who reciprocates those feelings and actions. Randy considers Nanci his soul mate and looks forward to sharing many adventures with her and Jesus on the New Earth, though their “marriage” will be to Jesus and not to each other.

What does Jesus mean by “God of the living not the dead”?

Since the Sadducees only believed Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) to be divinely inspired Scripture, Jesus quoted Exodus 3:6 (God speaking to Moses who was born long after the Patriarchs had died) to show that their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still living. He didn’t say, “I was,” He said, “I am.” He was making the point that people do live beyond death.

Will we still have the same biological family connections? Will I still know who my biological family is? Will we be able to live together and function as a family?

You will still be you after you die. This is called the doctrine of continuity. I love George MacDonald’s reply to someone who asked if we’d recognize one another in Heaven: “Shall we be greater fools in Paradise than we are here?” I suggest reading this article by Randy for more on your question. It doesn’t address how families will function; however, it’s reasonable to assume that people who shared Jesus in common here and now will naturally be drawn to one another there and then. I imagine, based on the diversity of cultures and people groups which will populate Heaven/New Earth, there will also be great diversity in how we relate to each other. And how wonderful will that be without any dissension due to pride or any other sin!? (You mentioned owning a copy of Randy’s book Heaven; see Chapter 35.)

What will our roles/jobs in Heaven and Millennium Kingdom be? Will we have assigned jobs based on interests/talents? Will we be able to have hobbies?

Randy also addresses this in Heaven. See in particular chapters 32-33 and 41-44.

The book of Isaiah covers a lot of info on the Millennium Kingdom. There is one passage that is very descriptive but some pastors state that it does not apply to those who were raptured. Isaiah 65:17-25 paints a beautiful world full of God's promise and grace to His chosen people. I believe that it could apply to all humans: those who were raptured, those who were resurrected, and those who survive the seven-year tribulation. Am I correct in my understanding of this passage?

Randy’s writing pertaining to this passage in Isaiah treat it as descriptive of the New Earth. “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth…” (v.17). If that’s the case, then certainly everyone who trusts Jesus for salvation and follows Him will enjoy that beautiful place made specially for us! (See this article for more.)

I hope to see you there, and we can ask Jesus together all the many questions we have.